Blues earn bragging rights

NO matter how many pieces of gleaming silverware end up in the Old Trafford museum at the end of the season, United will still be short of one of the most precious of all baubles - Mancunian bragging rights.

NO matter how many pieces of gleaming silverware end up in the Old Trafford museum at the end of the season, United will still be short of one of the most precious of all baubles - Mancunian bragging rights.

They don't earn the club millions of pounds in television rights, they don't persuade financial institutions to help raise the share price, and they don't help pay the inflated wage bills.

But, nevertheless, they are priceless and today they are dressed from head to foot in laser Blue.

Two games, four goals and the same number of points mean that it is Kevin Keegan's troops who can walk tall for the next 12 months.

And no matter what the Reds win between now and May, it will not negate City followers from having the perfect put-down - or stop them using it.

United can have no excuses. They came into yesterday's 138th renewal of local hostilities in their best form for years. Six straight victories bore testimony to their prowess and Sir Alex Ferguson left nothing to chance by selecting his best possible starting outfield 10.

City even allowed the home side the luxury of a goal start and still United couldn't prevent their neighbours making it three on the trot without a derby defeat.

Slow start

For 45 minutes, however, an entirely different scenario looked likely. The Blues began in a canter and got slower. United were allowed to dictate the pace and it didn't augur well.

An elusive Ryan Giggs popped up here, there and everywhere and there was a general lack of vim and vigour about the visitors' play.

Apart from an early booking for Gary Neville, referee Alan Wiley barely had to raise his voice in displeasure as both teams knocked the ball around instead of one another. It was all very gentlemanly and all unlike a derby should be.

Even United's 18th minute opener, courtesy of a peach of a pass from Roy Keane, some fleet of foot by Giggs and a deft final thrust by van Nistelrooy, barely raised the temperature.

City had not performed badly, particularly at the back, but other than long-range efforts from Nicolas Anelka and Kevin Horlock they never looked likely to level matters

Most importantly, though, they had in their ranks the best player on the pitch in Eyal Berkovic.

Star man

Prompting, probing always in space and always willing to give United players and the officials some animated advice, City's playmaker was at his impish and stylish best.

Having not trained properly for two weeks, it was an incredible effort from the midfielder. If anyone on that pitch knew the true importance of a local derby it was the man from Israel.

Fortunately for the Blues, most of his teammates got the idea after the break. Sylvain Distin and Jihai Sun drove tirelessly from the back and the tempo was raised to the point where United were squeezed and denied the space they had before the break.

As a consequence the second period was virtually one-way traffic. Forlorn United ran out of ideas and steam, save for the odd break from deep, and City were so much in the ascendancy that by the time Keegan made his inspired 85th-minute double substitution it would have been a travesty had they not found an equaliser.

They didn't have to wait long. A record nine seconds after coming on, Ali Benarbia sent a free kick to earlier replacement Shaun Wright-Phillips who spoon-fed the other substitute Shaun Goater to score his third goal of the season against United.

The Reds were lucky the contest didn't last another five minutes for City finished the stronger of the two sides and, at the same time as denting their hosts title chances, boosted their own of finishing in the top six. How ironic it would be now if United lost the title by four points!